Press and daily Dakotaian. (Yankton, Dakota Territory [S.D.]) 1880-1889, 1887-08-18

veil consumed. The bridge was q pile
bent bridge, fifteen feet long and had
been reported, In, good condition by the
bridge inspector May "a, whom he made
an inspection of Gil the bridges on the
road. Mr. Armstrong exhibited copies
OF orders which were sent ont by tele-
graph on Tuesday the 9th, the day be-
fore the wreck. The frat to the road
tmaster az follows:
August 8, 1887. O. Ennis: Have your
men run over their sections tomorrow,
In. n. the last thing before quitting time,
and see that bridges are in no danger of
FIRE. Ed. ARMSTRONG,
The following was sent Ont to the
agents:
Aug. $, 1887. All agents east, includ-
ing bind stations: The last thing you
do before going home tomorrow WED
nesiay) night, be sure your switches are
set for main track. Clear main track.
Have brakes set. y. d. MuNsoS.
Mt.gMnnson ia q train dispatcher.
Mr.. Armstrong could only guess ut
the speed of the excursion train, but he
thopghtit was.thirty or sthirsy.ive miles
per hour. They; were. endeayoring
to make up time. He had talk
ed with both engineers on that
snbjecsat Gridley. and told them il was
UNNECESSARY: That there was plenty
of time in which 70 getto Niagara Falls.
The first engine struck the rsils at the
east and Of the bridge all right, the ten
der pushed them aside, end the second
engine still more disturbed them. The
caps OF the bridge were of oak, the pill
lung OF. white OAK and the asringers OF
pine. There were tive rows OF pilipp.
foEs on each side. ges :
The witness thought that o fire at the
bridge would make o very faint light,
If any, as seen from Chstsworth because
OF IFS lower grade had the elevations be-
tween. Witness thought It was ssfes to
run the exoursion trein in one ssction of
fifteen cars with two locomotives, than
in two sections, because in ths latter
case there was danger Of rear end collis-
sion or in case the first section was
wrecked, of the rea section running
into il. The danger would depend upon
how far apast the sections wese running,
Witness thought size OF train did not cut
any figure in the cause or extent OF the
disaster. In his opinion, the tram OF
fifteen oars, fourteen Of them loaded
with passengers would not be consider
cd. dangerous by railroad men. He knew
OF SECULAR trains Of as many as q dozen
ecaehes being run daily ON some Of she
Isading roads. The came day the
|Toledo, Peoria and Western excursion
went out the Lake Erie and Western
ran ont OF Bloomington with another
excursion train to Niagara Falls, which
was also a double-hesder, and consisted
OF at least twenty coaches, and possibly
|swshty-two or t~RensT-fhEge, and car
|ried 86O passengers. Witness had been
on 9 Wabash douhle.header o7aeIeven or
twelve coaches whan IL iuudpsd the
track n every co1oh ran off, some on
onsIside and some on Tho Other. and not
0 Hlngia person was scratched
The railroada,sh She PsanHylyania sys-
tenn, among them, frequently rn double-
efn fan freight tTsins tksf wbysofsen,
when their length required ID. Witness
denied that Engineer MeClintook had
rempnstrated with him syabous snnninr
q doubie-header. Tie head engine, No.
81, Was the largest ( on, the road. rItI
weiRhs forty tona. The second engine,
No. g34,,T5weigtsd thirtysf0uf tons. No,
81 was chosen for the excursion on
|aeoount Of ita great strength and power.
EtIah Warren, master mechanic OF the
andltestifisd sthas he haS. hasn in sha
business fwe1tysAye Years IN aavsra1
railroads He, oonaidesed i srsin in.
frst-clasa condisIon fore trim of chat
kind. He had q great deal III srner;snca
In sendirs ont doubIe-hsaders on ali the
roads, he had been connesfed Will. and
would consider q train 81 fiiEaen ensehas
perfeetlY saie. Witness rasarrea hi the
BIOGRAPHY OF the wreck a. bs fonna IL
Four cars were packed one above an.
other. and almost sor,grad IL tha araca
of one so completely and closely had
they been telesooped. and tha s;ts nj
their wreck did mot exoeed nine or ten
feet OF the r~ight-of-way. II looked as
thoagh the grass and weeds had been
cut and buried 81. but share usra M
indications OF enythinr Of the kind c,osa
20 the bridge. not closer than tan feat
He could NOT say nov recently the iroht'
of way had been burned.
j, H. MnrkIey. msster OF she br;doea
and buildings, had been il the RAILROAD,
EEiustness twelve years the last two with
the Toledo, Peoria and Western. Was =
carpenter By Occupation, and had buiit
bridges himself. Examined cha bnrned
bridge May "a and found il in frst-olass
condition. He rebuilt ii May is. IL the
previous year. Rebui.s the bridge after
o. 49, /. - - ~ -. ri